The delayed evacuation of containers from the Meridian Port Services Terminal 3 (T3) to the Inland Container Depots (ICDs) dominated discussions at the 2nd Quarter Bronze and Trade Associations’ Shipper Committee meeting convened by the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) in Accra.
Shippers complained bitterly that prolonged delays in transferring their containers from T3 to the inland container depots were tying up cargo, disrupting their operations, and pushing up the cost of doing business at the Port of Tema.
They explained that boxes which are supposed to be positioned at Inland Container Depots (ICDs), including the Golden Jubilee Terminal (GJT), to allow consignees or their Agents to clear and take delivery of the cargos within the free storage window, are grounded at the MPS Terminal 3 for weeks. The difficulty, they said, is the time it takes for those containers to be transferred, positioned and made available for collection. Regrettably, rent, demurrage and other time-related penalties continue to run at the expense of the importer.
Several stakeholders noted that prolonged clearance and evacuation time continue to affect supply chain efficiency, increase operational expenses and undermine the competitiveness of Ghanaian businesses. They stressed that the charges accumulated due to the delayed operations were, in many cases, beyond the control of the importer, who would have done everything required by statutory regulations to clear their goods.
The concerns dominated a lively question-and-answer session that followed a series of presentations. Participants pressed the regulators and service providers present for practical timelines and clearer coordination between amongst the Service Providers.
Despite the grievances, stakeholders welcomed the effort of the GSA to bring Regulators, Service Providers, and other industry players onto a single platform to confront the long-standing challenges that affect 8nternational trade.
The meeting, which included Trade Associations and shippers with annual import and export volumes below one million dollars, brought together representatives from the aviation, maritime, logistics, standards, and communications sectors. It gave shippers the opportunity to engage directly with the institutions whose decisions and operational processes shape the cost of doing business and the efficiency of cargo clearance in Ghana.
GSA CEO Assures Shippers of the Validity of their Registration
In a speech delivered on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer of the GSA, Prof. Ransford Edward Gyampo, the Head of the Shipper Services and Trade Department, Mrs. Monica Josiah, reaffirmed the Authority’s commitment to supporting shippers through practical trade facilitation measures.
She assured participants that shipper registrations would remain valid for a full twelve-month period before renewal is required. The measure, she explained, is intended to provide certainty and convenience for users while enabling them to effectively utilise the ICUMS platform and other trade facilitation initiatives. Mrs. Josiah encouraged importers, exporters and other industry players who are yet to register with the Authority to do so in order to benefit from the services and protections available under the Ghana Shippers’ Authority Act, 2024 (Act 1122).
She further reiterated the Authority’s commitment to stakeholder engagement and the creation of a business environment that supports efficient cargo movement and international trade.
The meeting also drew presentations from key institutions on Ghana’s trade facilitation agenda. The Ghana Standards Authority presented the Ghana EasyPASS initiative as a tool to simplify compliance, cut delays and improve transparency through digitalised standards processes. Easy Chain Shipping stressed the ground reality of freight movement, where efficiency depends on documentation discipline, coordination across the supply chain and a stronger adoption of digital tools, noting that no single actor can fix the friction alone. The National Communications Authority highlighted the backbone role of digital infrastructure in enabling cargo tracking, Customs processing, and supply chain visibility.
The stakeholders agreed to sustain the dialogue and to track progress on the concerns raised at subsequent quarterly meetings.
